Helen Ferguson

Birthday: 1901-07-23
Deathday: 1977-03-14
Birthplace: Decatur, Illinois, USA
Gender: Female
Owned By: Unowned

From Wikipedia

Helen Ferguson (July 23, 1901 – March 14, 1977) was an American actress later turned publicist.

Born in Decatur, Illinois in 1901, she graduated from Nicholas High School of Chicago and the Academy of Fine Arts. Ferguson was a newspaper reporter before entering the motion picture field. It is thought she made her debut in films in 1914, although her first recorded credits are in 1917. She soon starred in roles for Fox Film Corporation by 1920, which is when her career really took off with films such as Hungry Hearts (1922) for Samuel Goldwyn. She was cast mostly in westerns, comedies, and serials. She was selected as a WAMPAS Baby Stars in 1922.

She married actor William Russell in 1925, but he died in 1929. The following year, she married wealthy banker Richard L. Hargreaves. Following her second marriage, she left films to concentrate on stage work, though she only received minimal success in this medium.

In 1933, she left acting altogether to focus on publicity work, a job she became very successful in and which made her a major power in Hollywood, because she was representing such big name stars as Henry Fonda, Barbara Stanwyck, and Robert Taylor, among others. Ferguson represented actress Loretta Young for more than nineteen years. She kept reporters from needlessly disturbing Young and was considered one of the foremost "suppress agents" in Hollywood.

In 1941, her second husband died, and she retired from publicity work in 1967. She died in Clearwater, Florida in 1977, aged 75. She is buried at Forest Lawn Glendale in Glendale, California.

Helen Ferguson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to Motion Pictures at 6153 Hollywood Blvd.

Credits

Year Title Character
1934-11-10 Kid Millions Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
1930-09-27 Scarlet Pages Miss Hutchinson
1930-01-30 Poor Aubrey Amy Piper
1929-12-27 Finders Keepers
1927-09-10 Jaws of Steel Mary Warren
1925-09-20 Spook Ranch Elvira
1925-08-16 The Isle of Hope Dorothy Duffy
1925-07-26 The Scarlet West Nestina
1925-02-15 The Cloud Rider Zella Wingate
1924-09-14 Chalk Marks Virginia Thompson
1924-06-20 The Valley of Hate Millie Hendricks
1924-06-20 Valley of Hate Millie Hendricks
1923-10-01 The Unknown Purple Ruth Marsh
1923-05-21 Double Dealing The Slavey
1923-04-28 Within the Law Helen Morris
1923-03-04 Brass Rosemary Church
1923-02-19 The Famous Mrs. Fair Peggy
1922-11-26 Hungry Hearts Sara
1922-09-09 The Crusader Mary
1922-06-04 Roughshod Betty Lawson
1922-05-06 According to Hoyle Doris Mead
1921-11-27 The Call of the North Elodie Albret
1921-11-01 Miss Lulu Bett Diana Deacon
1921-08-21 To a Finish Doris Lane
1921-06-19 Straight from the Shoulder Maggie
1921-04-09 The Freeze-Out Zoe Whipple
1921-02-28 The Right Way The Poor Boy's Sweetheart
1920-10-21 Just Pals Mary
1920-10-10 The Challenge of the Law Madeline Du Barre
1919-07-02 The Lost Battalion The Stenographer
1919-02-16 The End of the Road Maid
1918-11-03 Life's Greatest Problem Miriam Craig
1917-12-03 The Small Town Guy Eleanor Ramsdell
1917-10-08 Fools For Luck Brunhilda